Flood-gate.



J. M( BURKTT'.

BLOOD GATE.

APLIoATIoN FILED JULY 22. 1908.

Patented Feb. 2, 1909.

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f1; M. BUBKETT- FLOOD GATE.

.AIPILIOA'LIOIQr FILED JULY 22. 1908.

91 1,290. Patented Fer. 2', w09.

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JAMES M. BURKETT, Oli-NOBLE, OKLAHOMA.

vFLOori-Gratin.

l no. 911,290.

Specification of Letters Patent.

resented Feb. a, 190e.

Application tiled July 22, Serial No. 4.45:,802.

v vention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which itappertains to make and use the same. y

Thls invention relates to flood gates employed Where :fences cross streams in which the Water is liable to rise and fall, and likewise in fences which cross lovv land in which Water is liable t-o rise during rainy -seasons or in the spring of the year when the frost and snow are melting, and has for one of its 'objects to simplify and. improve 'the construction of Ydevices of this character and increase their etlicieney and utility. 4

Another object of the invention isto provide a simply vconstructed device of this character lwhich will preventfhorses, cattle and `other stock from passingtherethrough, but'which will yieldto the pressure of running Water when it rises abnormally, and,

which will then automatically return to its With these and other objects in View the invention consists-in two posts spaced apart at opposite sides of the stream or low land where the gate `is to be erected, the posts forming `portions .of the fence Whiohextends to the stream or low land at its opposite sides, the posts having vertical guide rodsI upon which an open frame is mounted for swinging within the frame and held yieldg ably therein, lthe springs being of .sutlicient 'strength to maintain the gates against pressure exerted thereon by horses, cattle, or other animals which it is desired to hold back, but which will vyield to "pressure eX- erted by running water when rising to an abnormal height.

i The invention further consists in certain novel features ofconstruction as hereafter shown and described and specifically pointed out in the claims, and in the drawings illustrative of the preferred embodiment of the invention, Figure 1 is a side elevation ofthe improved ydevice applied. Fig. 2 is a plan View of the same. on the line 3-3 of Fig. ,1.4

tlg. 4 is a sec- Fion is a section' spectively at 14-15.

tional detail illustrating a slight modilication in the construction.

The improved device may be constructed across streams of any size, or across lovvT land of any depth, and for-the purpose of illustration isshown arranged across a. stream, the banks at the side of the stream indicated at 10 and the Water in the stream at l1. Rising from the banks relatively near the normal shore line ofthe Water lare two posts 12-13, the posts forming apart of the fence which crosses the stream, the fence Wires represented re- Attached to the'confronting faces ofthe posts are boards or planks 16 and 17'..- l The bottom ends of the boards 16 and 17 are united by a longitudinal board or plank 18, the latter extending across the stream above `the Water, and

l spaced therefrom, the cross rmemberlS being low. enough to prevent 'animals passing Extending longitudinallyof the member 16 and spaced therefrom is a rod 19, the ends 2 0 ofthe rod turned' laterally and secured through `the member y16 and the post 12, as shown. Extending longitudinally of "the member 17 is a rod 22, the latter having frame 2-1 at .the ends are eye bolts 25 slidably engaging the rods 19-22, so that the frame 22 may be moved vertically upon the rods, the object to be hereafter explained.

Attached upon one face of the frame 24' at its upper part is a plank 26, and hinged as at 27- to this member 26 is a closing memframe. The member 28 is yieldably held in its vertical position, or Within the frame 24, by means of a pair of springs, eachspring consisting, as shown 1n Figs. 1 'and 3, of a single strip of relatively heavy steel Wire bent into an intermediate coil 3st, one end of each spring b'elng extended and fastened through the member26 at 35, and

the other end fastened through the member 28, at 36. 'The spring shown in Fig. 4 operates in precisely the same manner and produces the same result as the spring shown in Figs. l, 2 and 3. The spring is arranged on the down stream side so as to pull the gate back into closed position after it has been moved by the force of the Water.

The spring will be of sufficient strength to hold the member 2S in its vertical position against the action of the Water when at its normal stage, but which will yield when the water rises above the normal and will permit the water to flow through the gate, and which will then automatically close the gate when the Water falls to the normal stage. If the water rises to a sufficient height to entirelyor nearly submerge the frame 24, together with its member 26, the Whole gate structure will rise upon the vrods 19-22 and thus permit the water to flow beneath and'through the frame. The rising of the gate, it will be obvious, will provide a relatively large space for the flowing water, and thereby' prevent injury to the gate under these conditions. The improved gate thus automatically adapts itself to the condition of the stream or the Water flowing beneath it, and is prevented from being displaced by any abnormal rise of Water. The members .lG-17-18-24-26e-28-29 will preferably be of hard Wood, While the rods, eyes, hin es and springs will be of' metal, and preferably of steel, and may be galvanized 0r otherwise treated to prevent corrosion. i

In Fig. 4 a slightmoditication in the manner of formino the spring by which the gate is automaticaI ly controlled is shown, each spring, which is designated by the numeral 30 having one end 31 thereof Jfastened to the member 28 and the other end 32 fastened. to a bracket 33 which is secured to the uppermember yof the frame 24.

The improved devicemistsimple in construction, can be inexpensively manufactured andadapted to streams or low places of any required width, and may be constructed of any required height by simply extending the posts 12-13, the planks 16-17, and the rods l9-22, as will be obvious, so that the'gate may rise to a corresponding height when the water rises.

What is claimed, is:

1.1n a Hood-gate, the combination of spaced supporting members, vertical guide devices carried by said supporting members and spaced from their confronting faces, an oblong open frame, means for slidably coupling said frame to said guide devices, a closure device bearing over the upper portion of said frame, a closure device ar ranged Within the lower portion of said frame and swinging from the lower edge of said upper closure device, and a spring operating to maintain said swinging closure device yieldably in position.

n a Hood-gate, the combination of' spaced supporting members, vertical guide devices carried by said supporting members and spaced from their confronting faces, an oblong openl frame, means for slidably coupling said frame tosaid guide devices, a closure device bearing over the upper portion of said frame, a closure device arranged within the lower portion of said frame and swinging from the lower edge of said upper closure device, an arm extending laterally from the upper member of the frame, and a spring connected at one end to the free end of said arm and at its other end to said movable closure device.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signa'- t-ure, in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES M. BURKETT. Witnesses:

C. M. HOAUGH, R. MCCAUKEY. 

